McDonald’s will finally let you order and pay for its greasy burgers online

Fast food goliath McDonalds is almost ready to enter the digital age as the popular franchise is gearing up to launch its own order-and-pay online service.

The new app is slated to arrive in 2017, but will initially be available only in select international markets, including Australia, Canada, France and the UK. As you might guess, it will let you effortlessly buy McDonald’s greasy burgers using solely your mobile device.

While it’s not yet clear when the service will roll out, McDonald’s has plans to implement the technology at up to 25,000 restaurants worldwide by the end of 2018.

The fast food tycoon is a little late to the order-and-pay trend. Competitors from the likes of Starbucks, Taco Bell and Domino’s have all introduced their own digital payment solutions – and with a fair bit of success too.

The move towards online payments has been long time coming. McDonald’s first hinted at the possibility of setting up its own order-and-pay service back in 2015, when it launched a truncated version of its upcoming app in limited locations across the US.

This isn’t the only digital initiative McDonald’s is devoted to. Previously, the grease-infested franchise showed off an odd music instrument that allowed diners to make tunes while munching; it’s also running its own free Wi-Fi network that was recently plagued by porn-browsing maniacs.

Given that McDonald’s has had special kiosks in the UK and the US where you can place your order and pay without speaking to another human being, the decision to build a dedicated order-and-pay online solution is a logical step forward.